The Food and Drug Administration is paying attention to the little things—the very little things. The FDA recently released guidelines for industry on the use of nanotechnology in food and cosmetics. The draft guidelines have been issued for public comment, according to the FDA website.

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The Nanodermatology Society issued a statement in response to the guidance for nanotechnology use in cosmetics—an issue that will continue to interest dermatologists as the technology evolves. The NDS stated its belief that the FDA has a responsibility to ensure the evaluation of nanomaterial use in cosmetics, including both over-the-counter and prescription products.

The guidelines must measure up to the science, however. “The NDS believes that the guidelines should not be based on controversial evidence, weak evidence, or pure conjecture,” according to the NDS statement. To that end, the NDS pointed out a few areas of the guidelines where scientific evidence could be more complete. For example, with respect to titanium dioxide, the NDS notes that “TiO2 can accumulate in tissues such as kidneys, but can also be eliminated, for example, in the liver in some animal models.” In addition, the NDS notes that a guideline proposing that penetration studies should be conducted on both intact and impaired skin might not be appropriate in cases where products are recommended for use on intact skin only.

In addition, the NDS recommended an expiration period for the final guidelines, due to the swift evolution of nanotechnology.